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Roads

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Established Camping

Itch-Kep-Pe Park

25 Reviews

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About

Municipal

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Location

Itch-Kep-Pe Park is located in Montana

Directions

South of Columbus on Montana Highway 78. The city of Columbus is north of the Yellowstone River, continue traveling south and right before crossing the Yellowstone River is Itch-Kep-Pe Park.

Coordinates

45.62542612778221 N
109.2462046905789 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Poor
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Available
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

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Contact

General Info

Chris P.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 7, 2023

Easy access and well maintained

Right off I 90, this spot is easy access and well maintained. The camping spots have good separation with a table and fire ring. Close to the Yellowstone. We camped on the second loop and at the end near the boat dock is a trail that follows the river. We enjoyed the walk with our dogs. Lots of folks fishing. The only draw back is the highway on the opposite bank is noisey, as well as neardy airport and train tracks. Other than that, it's a pleasant experience

Month of VisitNovember

Joachim M.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 3, 2023

Free, but that’s the only good thing

There were a few spots available when we arrived a bit after midday. There are vault toilets, but we did not want to use them. Lots of bugs, our car was hunted by wasps. Quite noisy, with people running generators all day and night, the nearby road, and the nearby train

Month of VisitSeptember

Matthew W.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 1, 2023

good for a quick overnight free camping.

This is a decent spot for a quick overnight if you're passing through the area. We stayed here in July 2023 in our truck camper and there were plenty of spots available in the far section, near the boat put-in. Very buggy and the bathrooms are not the best. Right on the Yellowstone river which is cool.

Month of VisitAugust

Lauren

Traveler

Reviewed Nov. 2, 2022

Donation based quick spot

Stayed one night towards the end of October. Plenty of open spots, looked as though a couple RVs may call this place, “home.” Vault toilet, river access, large trees but not exactly spaced for privacy. Each campsite had a fire ring and picnic table. Very close to the highway, so convenient. At least a handful of times someone went speeding through the camp. LOTS of garbage all around the campsite, and a dumpster that was left open. A police car did drive through at one point but I didn’t see them stop or talk with anyone. Someone in camp was shooting guns, during the early evening and then again around 3:30AM, not very quiet. Donation based, so could be a free place to stay if you need, but I recommend donating if you can.

Month of VisitNovember

Steven M.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 9, 2022

Wanna like it but just don’t

If you removed all other humans and never walked into the bathrooms? It’s pretty nice. Buggy (mosquitoes and ticks) and the train tracks are loud at times. But it’s gorgeous if you go down to the river. My big complaint is something not everyone will experience hopefully but the people, specifically the ones next to me, were massive vibe kills. Yelling at their puppy, threatening to beat it, threatening to leave it behind. Borderline considered calling the cops or animal control or someone. They were not the classiest individuals. I don’t know if that’s the type of crowd that comes here normally but i hope it isn’t for everyone else’s sake. But in the end, it’s free. Won’t be as relaxing and nice as a site that costs $25+.

Month of VisitAugust

James M.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 10, 2022

Great camping! Watch out for the clowns in costumes/ law enforcement

They create revenue for the city by fining out of towners. Be prepared to lick these cowards boots.

Niki U.

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 8, 2021

Beautiful river views and autumn leaves

Pretty crowded campsite but the sites are nicely spaced. Lots of vans and RVs, not a ton of tent campers. Quick little walk to the river for gorgeous views. A bit loud at night but not too bad. Clean Bathrooms with running water. No showers. Great spot for the price (free lol).

Month of VisitNovember

Charles W.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 14, 2021

Great site on Yellowstone River

Easy to navigate roads. Arrived on a Monday afternoon and was able to find a waterfront site. Nice boondocking. Did not use bathroom so facilities so I can't comment. Will leave donation on the way out. Thanks Columbus!

Siteriverfront close to boat launch

Month of VisitOctober

Abigail U.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 24, 2021

Great City Park!

This campground is extremely easy to get into! Nice and spread out. Others running generators so I didn’t feel bad using ours so I could work. Making our way to Texas and this was the perfect first stop. Close enough to Billings.

Month of VisitSeptember

jeanne

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 29, 2021

River paradise

So happy we found this little gem! ( to think we WERE parked for the night at a nearby rest area😩) Found a spot ( Wednesday eve) right on the river! Our dog enjoyed a swim before bed, while we watched Bald eagles play right across the river from us!

Sitenot numbered- river view pull thru

Month of VisitAugust

Vania Z.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 20, 2021

The price is right

I really enjoyed this free campsite I think it’s a great place to regroup on a road trip. All my camp neighbors were friendly and the bathroom was not to bad. They had flushing toilets so that was nice. If I camp there again I would stay off the main road that takes you to the boat ramp. People went fast and kicked up a lot of dust. Besides that it was a positive experience.

Siteunsure

Month of VisitAugust

Ezequiel D.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 15, 2021

Primo Location

Free camping along the Yellowstone River! Beware, the coordinates that existed on the original listing took me to the wrong place. I used Google to find the right spot.

There are two loops - I found plenty of open spots in the second loop during my travels.

Site16?

Month of VisitAugust

Domenica L.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 13, 2021

Pretty- Free -On River

Lots of sights,any open area some are more private with trees. Surprisingly has a lot of travelers- very friendly w mix or vanners, tents, rvs.

Month of VisitAugust

claire W.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 10, 2021

City owned right on the Yellowstone

Stayed one night, got here 8:30 pm and got the last designated campsite. One restroom with water, 2 or 3 big family gatherings with kids and dogs. Police drove through, which gave a safe feeling. Caretaker here this morning. Aging site but nice. Quiet, some tents, rvs car camping. Free but place for donations. Place is 5 min off the highway.

Siteriver site

Month of VisitAugust

Abby M.

Legend

Reviewed Jun. 5, 2021

Big campground right on the Yellowstone River

This place was awesome! There’s 2 loops so be sure to check out the second one too! First loop has flush toilets and water outside the building. Second loop has a vault toilet. Over 30 spots between the two loops. Each site has a fire ring and a nice picnic table. Sites are spaced well and varies from shade to full sun. There’s trash bins in both loops and it’s all free! There’s a donation box at both loops. Met a lot of friendly folks during my stay. Just 5 minutes from town and I had 3 bars of LTE via AT&T. Definitely would stay here again!

Month of VisitJuly

Ron

Guide

Reviewed May. 30, 2021

Basic Amenities

We needed a quiet place to get off the road, stop for the night to sleep. This basic free campground didn’t have any sites proper available on the holiday weekend, but we did find a quiet, fairly level spot to park. City park accepts donations and ppl were friendly and quiet at night.

Month of VisitJune

Lee F.

Guide

Reviewed May. 28, 2021

Price is right

Nice, easy to get to spot along the river. There are actually two separate campgrounds, each with about 20 sites. There are blue camper signs directing you. The first site has bathrooms with flush toilets but most sites are close but not right on the water. If you drive through the first campground and go about 3/4 mile, you'll come to the boat launch and second campground. Several of these are right on the river but there is only a pit toilet. Although it was mostly full when I arrived just before a holiday, things got quiet after dark. All in all, a really nice place for free

Site15

Month of VisitJune

Morgan G.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 5, 2020

It was alright.

This is a free campsite on the river. Lots of site available but pretty busy. It was windy while we were here and that caused quite a bit of dust to blow through all the campsites. Overall not bad.

MaryAnn B.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 25, 2020

Beautiful view

Lovely sounds of the river and beautiful sunsets over the mountains! This dry camp was an excellent 2 night escape from our normal stops in RV parks. Level sites and easy pull through for our 36’ rv and toad. We were able to find a cozy spot right next to the river. The bugs and the dust are a bit much, but we had a blast with the dogs in the river, and enjoyed the peace and quite. Bring your bug spray and sunscreen!

(4) View All

Carly R.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 16, 2020

Easy decent camp spot

Arrive at around 11pm on a Saturday night. The good spots were taken but still plenty of room for our 4Runner + RTT. We used as a single night stop over driving up to Glacier. Some of the grass is well kept and mowed and other spots unmanaged. A lot of tent sites toward the back in a quieter dark area. Overall for a free site it was really nice. There were definitely some very sweet spots right on the Yellowstone river.

Art S.

Legend

Reviewed Feb. 27, 2020

Donation based camping right on the Yellowstone River

Right next to Yellowstone River and in the town of Columbus is a free campground. There are a lot of sites that are well spread out. If the front is full, follow the road next to the golf course and there are more. We camped right next to the restrooms so it wasn’t the quiet spot. However it was the only one left with shade- it seems pretty full today. I agree with the other reviews. This is a nice spot but it’s not exactly what we’re looking for. There are a lot of dogs(some loose) and a lot of people. Traffic noise is higher and campers arrive late and leave early. It’s a great thing that this town offers. Mosquitoes are a bit of a nuisance. The river is beautiful and the river access is all around.

If the crowd thinned out our stay would have been better. We got one of the last few sites and others filled in later.

Near the entrance is a donation post so your contribution can help this continue.

(8) View All

Simple Joyful Journey

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 15, 2019

Nice City Park along the Yellowstone River

We spent 9 days here (8/25-9/2) to work in nearby Billings (40 miles east) before heading to Washington State. The park was quiet and clean and we had no issues with neighbors at all. This is a city park that runs on donations. A nice guy from the local government stopped by once to give us a sheet with the rules and city ordinances.

Completely dry camping, although we were able to fill our tank at the spigot on the side of the restroom building. Grass or gravel sites with fire rings and picnic tables, with a mix of back in and pull-through spaces. A lot of space for big rigs and tenters alike. Firewood was available near the dumpsters in the middle of the park.

The nearest grocery store is a few miles away in town and the laundromat was small but clean. A farmer’s market was set up in the park by the railroad tracks on Thursdays (4:00-6:30) that had everything from fresh veggies and homemade goodies, as well as blankets and jewelry and a couple food trucks.

There is no dump station in the park, but there is one at the nearby Cenex station for a $5 charge during business hours. Otherwise the folks at Mountain View RV Park on the other side of the interstate will let you dump and fill water for $5.

Full Verizon signal allowed me to work from our rig for a couple days when I didn’t need to be in Billings.

Krista H.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 27, 2018

itch- kep- pe campground right next to the city of Columbus it has a little river and the campground is free .

my visit was good , other campers were very loud at night.

Stephen M.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 8, 2018

Nice dry camping close to town

Donation based camping with good sized sites and no hookups. we have stayed here quite a bit and always enjoy it. it is a little crowded on the weekends but clears out during the week. it is right on the river and, depending on the water level you can put in or take out here. it is a blast rafting the river and camping out here.

Diane H.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 29, 2016

Great area for dry camping

I stayed here for 10 days and it was nice. Quiet for the most part except on the weekend when the rafters and partiers are driving in and out of there. This is dry camping so no hookups but also no fee (they ask for donations). I wish the maximum allowed time was longer but I understand about them limiting the time so they don't get people setting up house there. I camped in the front area and didn't get as many bugs as I noticed in the back area but also got more traffic driving by on the weekend. They drive through pretty fast so be aware of vehicles on the roads.